Head Start

Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages 3 to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Head Start programs provide a learning environment that supports children's growth in the following domains:

Language and literacy

Cognition and general knowledge

Physical development and health

Social and emotional development

Approaches to learning

Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social, and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Head Start services are designed to be responsive to each child and family's ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage.

Program options:

Center based Head Start

Services are provided to 3 and 4 year old children in a classroom setting. Children attend classes in centers 1/2 day, 4 days a week. Transportation is provided to and from school for most of the service area with some exceptions. Children receive at least 2 meals each day. Each classroom is staffed with a teacher and an assistant teacher.

4 Year Old Kindergarten

ADVOCAP Head Start partners with the school districts of Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac, Ripon and Berlin to provide four year old kindergarten (4K) programming at the Head Start Centers. Children receive 4K services and Head Start services for a full day program, 4 days a week, all at the same location.

Parent Engagement

Head Start emphasizes the role of parents as their child's first and most important teacher. Parent and family engagement in Head Start is about building relationships with families that support:

Community Resources

Successful partnerships within the community bring together the resources of all agencies and programs to best meet child and family needs. Families are provided with a resource directory to guide them in securing community resources.

Head Start uses volunteers to the fullest extent possible. Special efforts are made to have volunteer participation, especially parents, in the classroom, in program governance and in program assessment.